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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. ball — a great time
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mate — a friend
  6. foot — a measure
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. mate — to breed
  9. march — the month
  10. roll — a cake
  11. degree — temperature
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ball — a dance
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. march — music
  16. degree — an amount
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. mate — a partner
  19. degree — from a university
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. chair — a leader
  22. roll — a list
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. chair — to sit on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com